Demystifying IP: From University Licensing to Startup Challenges
When and Where
Description
This workshop explores two key themes in understanding and managing intellectual property (IP) from research to commercialization.
- Demystifying University IP and the Role of the TTO
- We will clarify how university IP ownership works, what value the UofT Technology Transfer Office (TTO) provides, and address common questions researchers face such as what can safely be disclosed and when, how invention disclosure fits into publication timelines, how potential conflicts between PI and student ownership are handled, and how to decide whether to license a technology or pursue a startup path.
- Beyond the University: IP Challenges for Startups
- The panel will also discuss typical IP issues founders encounter more generally, highlight common mistakes to avoid, and offer practical guidance on building and maintaining a strong IP position.
Panelists will discuss best practices, strategic trade-offs and real-world examples to illustrate how these issues unfold in practice, providing actionable insights for aspiring founders and researchers.
The event will also feature small-group breakout sessions, where participants can obtain further insights from conversations with IP professionals and other founders.
Professor Alberto Galasso returns to the IP and Technology Strategy series as moderator for this event, which features 4 experts on the panel: Jennifer Fraser, Karen Temple, Isi Caulder, and Stephen Leonard.
REGISTER FOR DEMYSTIFYING IP: FROM UNIVERSITY LICENSING TO STARTUP CHALLENGES
This is part 3 of 3 in our IP and Technology Strategy Series.
Expert Bios
Jennifer Fraser
Jennifer Fraser is a business professional focused for the last 25 years on commercializing early stage technology. Whether the work has been for a start-up company, a venture capital firm or a university, the goal has always been the same; ensure promising technologies have the resources and a plan to make it to the market. She received her MSc. in Microbiology and Immunology from Western University in 1994 and her MBA from the prestigious Ivey School of Business in 2002.
While working for Procyon Biopharma, she developed her own inventions for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. With the London Biotechnology Commercialization Centre and Paramount Capital, she performed technology and business due diligence on investment opportunities and built an extensive network of industry experts to advise her.
Jennifer is currently leading a team of excellent innovation and entrepreneurship professionals as the Director of Innovation at the University of Toronto. She sits as an observer on the boards of various university start-ups, is the recipient of the prestigious 2023 AUTM Canada Award, is on the AUTM Board and has Chaired several commercialization committees in the Toronto community.
Karen Temple
Karen Temple is a Senior Commercialization Manager in the Innovations and Partnerships Office at the University of Toronto where she works with university researchers and entrepreneurs to develop their intellectual property and derisk their technologies’ business value.
Karen has a unique vantage point from 20+ years experience working with growing technology companies from start-up ventures to large corporations. Over the years, she has held a number of technology and business development roles, including securing early-stage investment to finance growth opportunities, and implementing strategies to validate technology/product/market fit.
Karen has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, is a co-inventor on two patents, and previously served as on the Board of the Licensing Executive Society USA & Canada.
Isi Caulder
Isi (pr. “Izzy”) Caulder is a principal in the Toronto office of Smart & Biggar LP in the Electronics, Information and Communications Technology practice group. Isi leverages over 25 years of patent prosecution experience and deep industry knowledge to guide technology companies through the process of strategically developing, managing and monetizing IP rights in North America and worldwide.
Isi is a dedicated supporter of the Toronto technology community with a passion for helping startups develop an effective IP strategy and portfolio. Currently, she is an “Entrepreneur Mentor in Residence” at The Entrepreneurship Hatchery at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Toronto (UofT), and a Board Member on the UofT’s Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Industry Advisory Board.
Isi is consistently listed as an expert in Canadian intellectual property law and patent law in various national and international surveys, including in the WIPR Leaders Directory, Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada as a “Most Frequently Recommended” lawyer in Canada, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Best Lawyers in Canada.
Stephen Leonard
Stephen Leonard is a Partner and Patent Agent at Aird & McBurney, one of Canada’s leading IP boutiques. He advises startups, scale-ups, corporations, and research institutions on patent protection and IP strategy, drawing on a PhD in physics and a background in entrepreneurship and tech commercialization. Stephen helps clients build high-value patent portfolios across diverse technical areas including medtech, deep tech, AI, photonics, robotics, telecom, and fintech. He has been a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab since 2020 and also serves as a Venture Advisor at Leva Capital, a Canadian VC firm focused on medtech and digital health. Stephen previously co-founded Qvella, a diagnostics company that developed solutions for rapid sepsis detection.
The IP and Technology Strategy series is offered in partnership with and led by Professor Alberto Galasso, Anthony S. Fell Chair in New Technologies and Commercialization, Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.
Alberto Galasso
Anthony S. Fell Chair in New Technologies and Commercialization, Professor of Strategic Management, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Alberto Galasso is a Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto, where he holds the Anthony S. Fell Chair in New Technologies and Commercialization. He is Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). He serves as co-editor for the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, as associate editor for the Journal of Industrial Economics and the International Journal of Industrial Organization, and as member of the editorial board for the Strategic Management Journal. His research agenda focuses on the determinants of innovative activity, the management of innovation and the functioning of markets for technology. Alberto is the author of The Management of Innovation (University of Toronto Press).